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Monday, May 18, 2009

A lil' background

I can still remember the tears that welled up in my eyes when Aaron told me he was getting shipped off to Singapore. A lump the size of Texas settled in my throat and I had to force it down to choke out normal words so he wouldn't know how upset I was. I was sitting in my car at a red light and knew I had to keep it together for another thirty minutes to make it home from work in one piece. For all I knew, they were sending him into the depths of the jungle where there were no phones, internet or toilets. I was sure I'd never see him again. I had only heard of Singapore twice: Once, when I went to school with a kid who was born there. All that I remembered him telling me about it was that if he ever went there to visit family, they'd force him into the military to complete his mandatory National Service. The second time was when I heard about the kid that got caned for spray painting cars in the 90s. Even though Aaron was already military and I was sure he wouldn't be painting any cars, I was sure something awful was going to happen with him moving to such an awful place.

I am a bit of a drama queen.

So since I know there are others who thought or still think just like I did, I found this documentary that the Discovery Channel did and think that it is a very interesting portrayal of the place I live. It's a little out of date by about three years or so, but it's not too off.

(Just a warning: the quality is not the best and the audio is really loud so go ahead and turn down your speakers.)

The MRT (subway system) that is mentioned in the video is how we commute to work, the grocery store, out to dinner, etc. It really is pretty great -- minus the crowds, and the smells that a tropical island creates.

As you can see, Singapore is far from the place my worried little mind created. We have our ups and downs, challenges and triumphs. We're learning many lessons.